


Reunions

by Werepirechick



Series: this unfamiliar road... [1]
Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: (cheesy title i know shut up), Adopted Children, Adoption, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Fluff, Feral Behavior, Fluff, Introspection, M/M, Multi, Post-Canon, Reunions, Team as Family, Troll Dads, blinky is a proud dad, gettin the gang back together, i'm capitalizing on troll instincts and jim's unfamiliarity with having them lmao, lots of thinking about stuff and people in this fic as i wind up to tackle the rest of the series, spoilers for literally so much of season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 19:18:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14775648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Werepirechick/pseuds/Werepirechick
Summary: Months after beginning the establishment of New Trollmarket, the gyre station is finally complete. And Jim isn't the only one who's antsy to see their missing family members returned.Blinky, no matter how many centuries pass, will always eagerly await a reunion with his bonded partner.





	Reunions

**Author's Note:**

> i haven't written for the trollhunters fandom in a while, but hot damn what a season that was. season 3 totally roped me right back in, esp with all the new developments that happened. always great to find a new obsession to distract yourself from your life; i greatly appreciate the choices of canon and shall indulge myself in every way possible. headcanons for days, my friends. xeno behaviors and anatomy has always been a specialty of mine, and oh thank you thank you trollhunters for inspiring my muse. :3c
> 
> this is truthfully a blinky perspective from the larger fic i'm in the process of writing, detailing my personal spin on the events following canon. the building of the new trollmarket, the effect of peace after war, and especially jim's transition from human to troll. fyi i'm former homestuck, (bb's first psycho fandom lmao), so be prepared for unique takes on TH's trollish romance....... tho i swear they're not quadrants.
> 
> cheers.

Watching the gyre start up, Blinky puts a hand on Jim’s back. His young charge is practically vibrating; eyes fixed on the machine as it winds up, and- shoots off down the tunnel, blindingly fast and gone in less time than the blink of six eyes.

Blinky is pleased. Not only is the gyre station hopefully now finished, and its tunnel to Arcadia complete, but it didn’t explode even a little during this half of its test run.

The trolls spectating its final stage of installation give a short round of applause and cheer, then moving on to continue their night. It’s just Blinky and Jim within a few moments, with their resident Trollhunter staring down the tunnel intently. As though just by watching, he can make the gyre return faster.

“It works, right? They’ll be here soon?” Jim asks, eyes still not moving from the wide mouth of the gyre station’s tunnel. He’s sinking slowly, almost certainly subconsciously, into a crouch on the balls of his feet; ready to spring forwards at any time, but also ready to watch and wait for his prey however long it takes.

Well, if long-distance friends Jim hasn’t seen in months can be counted as ‘prey’.

“With any luck, yes,” Blinky replies, moving his hand up to pat Jim’s head between his horns. With majority of the passing gawkers uninterested now that the potential explosion has passed, it’s a private enough moment to express the affection. “But it’s like humans say, James. A watched pot never boils. It will be at least another few hours before we’re certain the gyre is completely safe; I’d suggest you find something to occupy your time with until then.”

Jim makes a frustrated huff at that, a quiet growl in his throat. Blinky puts one of his lower arms around Jim’s shoulders, while still petting the top of his head; a bit more than is entirely comfortable to do in public, but Jim very much seems to need it.

“I could’ve gone with them,” Jim says, half to himself, “then I’d…”

“You _might_ have seen Claire and Tobias sooner, yes, but you also might have blown up in a spectacular failure of engineering,” Blinky reminds him. Jim is clearly annoyed by that information, but is still leaning into Blinky’s hands; some of the tenseness in his shoulders easing for the contact. Blinky counts that as an improvement. “Trollmarket needs its Trollhunter hale and healthy, Jim. You might be strong enough to best Gunmar himself, but a gyre crash will wound even you. Best to leave it to the professionals; who are much more heavily armored than you, if I may add.”

Gyre station engineers are of the rarer sorts of trolls. Both big and heavily armored enough to survive the unfortunate crash of a gyre, but also well-learned and educated enough to put the whole thing together. Blinky may have the skill to drive a gyre, but he certainly doesn’t have what it takes to _build_ one.

“I have armor, too,” Jim mutters stubbornly. Blinky smiles, affectionately patting the young troll-boy’s coarse hair.

“Indeed you do,” Blinky agrees. He gives Jim a tight two-armed squeeze, then stepping away; knocking his staff against the stone ground as he walks. “Come, then. Let’s put it to good use on the training grounds why don’t we? I’m sure you will find any number of willing opponents to blow off some steam with.”

Blinky waits a few seconds, flicking an ear backwards to listen for Jim’s following steps. After a few beats, a rather forlorn sigh is heard and Jim does indeed come trailing after him, if reluctantly.

Their Trollhunter does make for a mopey sight, dressed in loose pants and a baggy shirt; the loneliest body language possible as he pads along barefoot. Claire’s presence on and off the past months has been a big part of what kept Jim’s negative moods from being permanent. But with her family needing to see her, and higher education apply for, and her humanity dictating she seeks out her own kind for company… Claire can’t be Jim’s girlfriend constantly. The fiery young sorceress in-training has her own life to live, and sometimes the diverging paths of bonded partners can be a difficult hurdle.

Toby’s absence does nothing to help the state Jim works himself into; quicker to the rise of a conflict and pushed to uncharacteristic snaps, dogging Blinky’s heels even when Blinky has no use for a twitchy warrior in his library, or simply running himself ragged with a hundred different mundane activities in one night. All to keep his mind off the missing persons from his side.

Truly, as Blinky long suspected, the three of them are better kept as a trio. Separations are so very hard for younglings, even when they’re necessary. And for Jim, grappling with troll and human instincts both, it’s been doubly lonely.

Blinky sympathizes greatly. The hulking shadow that should be following his has been gone for months, and while they’ve gone years being apart… Blinky misses Arrrgh more with each rise and set of the moon. He misses the deep bass of Arrrgh’s voice, the unusual and unique perspectives he has of situations, the quiet comfort of them in their cave together, away from the world with only each other for company…

Yes, Blinky understands Jim’s pining loneliness quite well. And as he’s learned over his centuries of life, the only way to cope with it is to keep one’s self busy.

Hence, having his adopted son suit up and spar for the remaining time before their family arrives.

A perk of being Trollmarket’s leader is that when Blinky asks for a spar partner to present themselves, his request is fulfilled promptly. Jim himself holds appeal, given his reputation and prowess, but he is not even an adolescent by troll standards and that sometimes is enough to earn him subtle dismissal.

Thankfully tonight he receives no such slight, and Blinky is pleased to see five volunteers. Two nearly thrice Jim’s size, one of equal stature and svelte musculature, and the latter two in between. A good array of opponents for Jim to further hone his skills against, and more importantly to distract himself with.

Blinky settles himself on the side of the training grounds, sitting on a spectator bench; watching the first spar begin. While Jim says the incantation of his amulet, wrapping himself in the blue glow of it, Blinky takes in the training grounds as a whole.

It’s not as grand or impressive as the ones of Old Trollmarket, but it’s functional and frequented nonetheless. The lost history of the old training grounds will sting for a long few decades yet, but here they are already in the process of building a new Hero’s Forge. A place for future legacies to be born.

As such is why many newcomers to the market gather here, staking their place among their peers and proving their strengths. With the news of Gunmar and Morgana’s defeat travelling through troll communities across the globe, Blinky has been unsurprised to find many making the journey to join the one who can claim hand in that defeat. Trolls are predictable in their attraction to power and reputation, and the collective Blinky is responsible for can boast quite a lot of both.

Add in that the Trollhunter has a permanent residence among them, and the draw is more than tempting. Even if when they arrive… some trolls are not quite so accepting of a hunter than is not fully troll _or_ human.

It has been a hard transition for Jim, with some weeks when Claire is away in the human world leaving him near despondent. With his body’s changes to adjust to, and the peace after a brutal war only just beginning to sink in… Jim has rougher moments than he would ever admit.

Peacetimes after war, as Blinky came to know hundreds of years ago, are not so easily accepted as one would like. Especially when you’re grieving, and in Jim’s case, as young as a troll child.

Jim grieves for his humanity, for the life he gave up, and for the trolls and humans he couldn’t save. He is only just beginning to age by troll standards, but by human… he is old enough to fight and die for his country, and fight he _has_ for the world he gave everything to.

It’s still a heavy weight, the responsibilities and lives Jim has shouldered. Blinky will admit that he himself feels a tad weighed down these days, carrying the leadership of Trollmarket both old and new with all the gravity it deserves.

Between the two of them, coping with every burden they’ve chosen to take on, the presences of their family are a sorely missed feeling.

How glad Blinky is that the tunnel and gyre station are _finally_ complete. He’ll be even gladder once Claire and Tobias return to Jim, and finally calm their Trollhunter. Of course, not that Blinky won’t be extremely happy to have Arrrgh back as well… but Blinky is capable of self-control in Arrrgh’s absence. _Jim_ meanwhile is as unnerved and squirrely as possible.

Younglings, honestly. As endearing as he may be, Blinky does find his patience tried at times by his adopted son.

Not at the moment, though. As Jim is practically yowling with gleeful triumph as he bests one of his opponents- defeating one of the much larger trolls using nimble tricks and sneak attacks. His armor shines in the overhead lights as his broad falchion whirls; the flat of the blade smacking his opponent in his nose at _just_ the right moment, and sending the troll toppling backwards.

Jim dissolves his sword as he flips away, using his bipedal and quadrupedal forms of maneuvering to his advantage; just as the sveltely shaped troll takes up the fight, his crescent blade similar to that of Nomura’s twin ones. Though this is a full-blooded troll, and not one of the changelings that flit in and out of Trollmarket’s territory.

Blinky claps his upper arm’s hands, calling out, “Good show, young master Jim! Now give us an encore!”

“Working on it!” Jim yelps, scrambling on all fours out of the path of a blade that burns bright green.

“I wouldn’t be so certain of victory, Trollhunter whelp,” taunts his grey skinned opponent, and ah yes, this is one of the newcomers Blinky remembers welcoming a few weeks ago. _Taka_ , Blinky thinks. A gentile fellow until he’s decided to stroke his ego.

Jim is in the process of cutting him down to size again, though, so Blinky chooses not to speak out against the mild insult. It’s nothing Jim hasn’t been called before, and Blinky has gotten practiced at swallowing the defensive growl that bubbles in his throat each time.

Blinky shouldn’t show _too_ much favoritism towards the Trollhunter, given his position as Trollmarket’s elder leader (though he’s not _that_ old yet), but he can’t help the reflex to defend someone he claims as his own. And it’s heartening to know that if someone badmouths his leadership choices within Jim’s hearing, the troll-boy tends to firmly remind them that disrespecting their elders is a real _buttsnack_ thing to do.

Blinky smiles to himself, watching as Taka winds up with Daylight’s edge pressed to his throat. Jim’s smug grin is a welcome sight to see, rather than the pensive curling frown it’s been since Claire’s departure.

A tap on his shoulder, and Blinky turns his six eyes from Jim’s victory to the troll behind him. For a moment, the large size of said troll brings a soft pang to Blinky’s chest.

 _Soon,_ Blinky reminds himself.

“Blinkus,” greets the larger troll respectfully. His expression, however, is deeply annoyed. “There’s been another… _disagreement_ over rations.”

Blinky sighs. “Socks or glug this time?”

“Both, actually. Which is the problem. Not everyone wanted smoothies.”

And once again, Blinky finds his honored position as Trollmarket’s leader being called upon to settle a squabble. He really does understand now why Vendel had been so _grumpy_ all the time.

“Right, then,” Blinky says, and stands from his bench. “Lead the way. Perhaps this time we’ll get matters solved before someone loses a digit or four.”

Blinky gives a brief wave to Jim, who is well and truly occupied by taking on his medium sized opponents both at once. The troll-boy distracts himself for a moment to wave cheerfully- seeming miles better than he’d been earlier, moping in front of the gyre station- and then dives back into the fight with his twin daggers drawn.

Blinky smiles warmly, and then turns to meander to wherever the largest crowd of trolls has gathered. Where there’s a crowd, there’s a fight. It makes tracking the conflict down easier for Blinky and Jim both.

The resolution of the fight turns into the resolution of another, and then a consultation with a different pair of trolls, and then an advisory about a cave’s structural plans, and then a brief assist in locating someone’s errant hatchling (always check the pantry first), and so on and so on and before Blinky knows it-

 _“Blinky!”_ someone yells down at him, and Blinky looks up from his work to see a certain youngling racing past. Jim’s fangs are on full display as he bares them in an overjoyed grin, which Blinky nearly misses entirely at Jim’s speed. “They’re here, the gyre is _here! C’mon c’mon c’mon-_ ”

And Jim is gone before Blinky hears the rest, as the troll-boy vaults over a food cart and several trolls and drops to all fours; continuing his sprint for the gyre station on the western side of Trollmarket.

Blinky feels a swell of emotion in his chest, and barely contains his own joy. A quick exchange of eye contact with the troll he’d been speaking to, and Blinky is waved off with an exasperated smile.

“Go, follow after the boy,” shoos the elder troll lady he’d been speaking with, and her nearly blind old eyes crinkle as she laughs at him. “Both of your pining is _sickening,_ I can’t stand looking at it any longer.”

“Thank you, but _excuse you_ , Dar,” Blinky snaps without heat. “I distinctly remember you being the same way the last time Tumelt visited her family up east.”

Dar’s many bead and skull accessories clack as she waves him off sharply. “Ach, your memory is failing you already, Blinkus. I’m sure such a thing never happened. Now get on with it! Arrrgh will be waiting.”

Blinky rolls all six of his eyes at her teasing, but does as told.

There’s no hope of him catching up to Jim’s progression- his son is as speedy as any of the troll ilk Nomura hails from- but Blinky does his best to keep up a steady jog until he’s reached his destination. No one bothers him as he goes, no one calling out for assistance with any little problem they’ve created for themselves. Blinky suspects they’re being respectful enough to give him time to reunite with his bonded partner, and for that he is grateful.

After all, with the way his heart is swelling and pulling him back to the one he’s shared it with- Blinky very much doubts he’d stop for anyone at this point, leaderly responsibilities or no.

Getting through the crowds closer to the gyre is aggravating, but all the irritation at being slowed down vanishes once Blinky breaks through and lays his eyes on the individuals clustered around the station.

For a moment, their surroundings are of little consequence to Blinky, and the only thing he can look at is the familiar green-grey hide of Arrrgh.

Arrrgh, who catches Blinky’s scent, and whips his head towards him with a grin so wide it must hurt.

“ _Blinky!”_ he bellows, and comes charging forwards. Blinky is forced to drop his staff in order to wrap his four arms around the neck of his partner, but the dull clatter of its fall barely reaches his ears.

The thick bristle of Arrrgh’s neck is an achingly familiar sensation against Blinky’s cheek, and he has missed it more than he thought he had, finally feeling it again now. Arrrgh’s chest is filled with sound as he gives a rumble of a purr, so happy that his words have deserted him and all he can do is hold Blinky tightly.

Blinky accepts the crushing hug happily. He has missed every aspect of Arrrgh, from the part of his scent that reminds him of rocks from deep beneath the earth, to the enormous hugs he gives when overexcited.

Blinky then lets out a startled laugh as Arrrgh lifts him off the ground, bringing him to level and looking Blinky right in the eye. Blinky feels himself smiling as wide as Arrrgh is, and that smile becomes something softer as they put their foreheads together; knocking horns and taking a slow inhale of each other’s scents.

Arrrgh smells like Arcadia, like Toby, like cats and tunnels different from the ones in the new Trollmarket territory, and he smells like _Arrrgh._ Like the troll Blinky isn’t ever sure how he managed to be without for any period of time.

Every time they have to separate, for whatever reason or for however long, the act of coming back together never ceases to jerk on every single one of Blinky’s heartstrings.

“…missed you,” Arrrgh sighs, words barely making it through his purring.

“And I you, old friend,” Blinky replies without missing a beat, his own quiet purr working its way up his throat. For as long as they can, they stay like that; re-familiarizing themselves with one another and beginning the process of mingling their scents together again. Blinky stopped being able to smell Arrrgh on himself not two months after leaving; it’d been a low night indeed, having discovered that.

But Arrrgh is here _now_ , even if just temporarily, and that erases everything else.

Reluctantly, Blinky remembers his position in society and the dictation of public manners. Arrrgh makes a disappointed noise at the gentle tap for him to put Blinky down, but does as asked. He remains in contact though, even after setting Blinky on his feet. Blinky doesn’t mind in the least that Arrrgh is pressed in close to his shoulder and back; if anything, the looming presence is a great relief to have once again at his side.

Arrrgh picks up Blinky’s staff, offering it to him with a smile that’s always made Blinky’s ears perk in embarrassed happiness. Arrrgh is stronger than nearly every troll in Trollmarket- perhaps even across the whole continent. And of all the other trolls, including those that might equal him in strength, Arrrgh chose _Blinky._ Blinky, who is capable in a fight, yes, but nowhere near level with some more brutish trolls.

Blinky remembers their friendship started rocky, due to their former divide in allegiances. How far away do those first nights seem now - Blinky coming face to face with the revered, _feared_ traitor champion of the Gum-Gum army, who’d been chained up and wide eyed as he met Blinky’s gaze.

Never had Blinky thought that someone so strong and infamous could be scared of _him._              

Blinky’s only regret of their budding friendship back then… has to be that it took him weeks to get over his own suspicions, and just accept Arrrgh’s efforts to change as the sincere attempts they were.

He is so very glad that he did.

Blinky takes his staff from his partner, saying, “Thank you, Arrrgh.”

Arrrgh leans his head down sideways, sneaking another knock of their horns in before straightening up and acting appropriately. After all, they need to set an example for a certain troll-boy, who is clearly in need of one.

Jim has all but wrapped himself around Claire and Toby- Toby perhaps especially, as they haven’t seen each other in person in months. As much as it warms Blinky’s heart to see the trio reunited, it really doesn’t do to have the fearsome and noble Trollhunter letting his instincts get the better of him in public. With strength and size on both his humans, Jim has easily scooped them in close to himself and is very near cuddling right then and there.

Blinky sighs to himself, seeing Jim attempt to knock horns with Toby and realize right after that it isn’t possible. Embarrassment and something like shame flicker across his features, and Jim quickly buries that under a happy grin. Toby just rubs his head, visibly complaining to Jim about bonking his skull.

Arrrgh is laughing about the whole awkward show, and while Blinky does love having the vibrations of that deep laugh at his back once more, they really should go rescue Jim from himself.

“Don’t make fun of the boy,” Blinky chides lightly, tugging on a tuft of Arrrgh’s fur, “he’s practically a hatchling like this.” A few short months of adapting to an entirely different way of life has not been nearly long enough for Jim, and this is yet another example of that. A struggling transition for everyone involved.

But Blinky always did want children, anyway, so it’s not a struggle he’ll ever complain about.

“Jim’s happy,” Arrrgh laughs. “Wingman, Claire, you- _us._ Very happy.”

Blinky’s mouth turns up in a fond smile, and lets Arrrgh put a huge arm around him. “Yes, that we are, Arrrgh. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“Could’ve,” Arrrgh says, and well, Blinky certainly would have chosen different words, and have used twice as many as Arrrgh did, but…

The succinct and straight forward way Arrrgh addresses their happiness is all that’s really needed to be said.

“No, I could not,” Blinky refutes mildly, to which Arrrgh snorts disbelievingly. Blinky simply reaches up to pat the side of Arrrgh’s face, and then steps forwards to get them moving. “Come along, I’m sure Tobias is quite eager to see the market and Jim may very well start nuzzling at this rate.”

Arrrgh laughs loud enough to draw the attention of the trio, and at their approach Jim seems to remember how to reign himself in and release his partners. The way Jim holds himself apart from the two humans right after… it speaks volumes of his discomfort with himself. Blinky knows sooner than later he’ll have to finally force Jim to sit down and _listen_ , and give his adopted youngling an overdue talk about the differences between troll romance and human romance.

But, as trollish as he is now, Jim is still part human teenager. And everyone knows teenagers are deathly allergic to speaking about _feelings._

(Not literally, thank goodness, but Blinky did have a momentary fit of panic after hearing that phrase from Jim’s mother.)

“Miss Claire, master Tobias,” Blinky greets, opening his three free arms to them. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Blinky!” they both shout, and transfer their hugs from Jim to Blinky. He catches them both easily, and laughs as Jim practically launches himself at Arrrgh. While the two of them begin wrestling, happy growls and playful snarls starting up immediately, Blinky opts to give a more human friendly welcome.

“Jim and I have missed you fiercely,” Blinky tells Claire and Toby, hugging them close. “Well. Perhaps Jim more than I.”

“Yeah, he kiiinda almost flattened me,” Toby says, but the exasperation is as fond as any Blinky has ever heard.

“Get used to him clinging to you now, because that’s going to happen a _lot,_ ” Claire warns with a smile as fond as Toby’s tone.

“Eh… I can deal with that. I missed him, too.”

Blinky pats both of their backs; satisfied that even if Jim’s behaviors get a little out of his control sometimes, his partners will still accept him wholeheartedly. Now if he could ever get the three of them to hold still and let him help them put the actual _name_ to the changes in their relationships… but that’s for later. For now, the time is for their reunion and all the joyous things that come with it.

And as though summoned by that thought, Arrrgh and Jim crash into them all; the two of them wrapping everyone else up in a big hug. Blinky finds himself squished in with Claire and Toby, a little short of breath, but nonetheless laughing along with the rest of his family.

Things have changed greatly in recent months, but at the same time stayed very much the same. Even with their life paths taking them different directions, they still intertwine enough that their connection never breaks.

Blinky more than happy to have his family back together, and for as long as it lasts, he will cherish every moment they have.

**Author's Note:**

> couple of notes:  
> -the bulk of this series will be about jim ngl, but i had to get my feels out about the troll dads.  
> -if anyone thought that i'd approve of claire's decision to live underground happily ever after with her 16 yr old monster boyfriend and not continue to live her own damn life, you thought very wrong. instead, she buses back and forth when she can, and splits her life evenly between things involving trolls+jim and her human family+future education.  
> -i'm weak for ot3s, particularly when i can go nuts with how the interspecies romance works.  
> -trollhunters is now god tier in my books, as they had the guts+skill to do what few others ever have. 
> 
> leave me a comment if you can, [and i have a new trollhunters blog](https://chillahead-bridge.tumblr.com/), so hmu to help build its repertoire of content.


End file.
